KENTUCKY ROUTE ZERO

With the Indie Games Festival in the area, some independent titles went so far under the radar today remember our good memories. A boon for Cardboard Computer which has just released the first act of Kentucky Route Zero, a planned five-part PC and Mac game, the entirety of which should be gradually released during the year 2013. And earning a place in the final in four separate categories, the title now finds itself in the spotlight, which would seriously benefit developers. Deserved recognition or simple ball of hype?

THIRD TOP IT WILL BE EXACTLY NEW ARTS AND A HALF

First appointment: visual excellence, "excellence in visual arts" in the language of Shakespeare. From this point of view, the title has a whole lot of points to make. Technically to start, except a slight visible aliasing on electrical cables, it must be admitted that the work is relatively clean. The animations are detailed, warm colors when present, and their absence often gives way to darkness beautifully used. However, this is probably not its execution quality worth it to be present in the final. Conversely, you can safely bet that the jurors were impressed by the artistic choices of the studio. Simply put, the design is very similar to the Another World refined and redesigned three-dimensional, although the action takes place on a single plane. By far, the characters are only silhouettes and never closer than enough to distinguish the colors of their clothes and pretend face. The bodies are craggy and supported by legs as thin as matchsticks. And finally, with its relatively fixed plans and actors in motion, the title ends up giving the impression of the lead player in a universe somewhere between animation and European comics.

And as we are aesthetic considerations, Kentucky Route Zero also competes for audio excellence. Some a little strange choice given that the game has no dubbing, despite a nice gaggle of text and music are few. This parsimony was offset by the quality of the songs, whether ethereal theme ask for the atmosphere and encourage contemplation, or more bluesy to mark a break between two important moments of adventure. And above all, there is the sound effects, which sometimes replace dialogue and actively participate in the story by playing a lot of echo and distortion to create tension or rather a sense of peace. Thus, some noise or truck radios are extremely crispants, as if we were forced to listen to feedback for several minutes to a few centimeters of an enclosure in the middle of a concert beginners punks. Others, like the hum of the truck prove surprisingly soothing, especially when they are heard over one of planing music game


ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Combined with other elements, also allowed under climb up the final phase of the competition for excellence in storytelling. And this is where the views may differ. Kentucky Route Zero is described by its authors as a "game of magic and realistic adventure about a secret highway running in the basement of Kentucky and the mysterious travelers taking." It provides mainly directed Conway, a delivery crisscrossing the state in search of destination of its cargo, antiques trimbalées aboard an old pickup truck belonging to the store where he works. These are some information as a starting point to a story told by essentially unspoken, implied, but also thanks to the player's choice. Strolling through the asphalt, we will have the opportunity to come across landscapes obviously designed to tell a story without ever fully revealing, but also characters with whom engage in conversation. The dialogue choices are many and we offer individuals the opportunity to further customize our protagonist choosing the name of his dog, his relationship with his parents, boss or fragments of his past. And then, imperceptibly, we will be given the opportunity to also choose the answers to our interlocutor, and therefore his story.

Original? Certainly. Dare? For less. Interesting? Not necessarily, or at least not during the first act. Some may say that thus, the characters become receptacles our emotions, our desires or some other noun sounding Freudian. They are mostly empty baskets being filled with only fruits that are presented to us as an offering, where the choice should be left entirely to the player. There is no finesse to force his hand to an implicit and potentially unlimited ordinary operation. In other games (or books, movies, paintings ...), the character is also subject to the fantasies and imagination of the viewer, who fulfills the unspoken as he wishes. And here, trying to give a new character to our little puppets on a new journey, we are left with the same progression and the same answers to a few lines close despite different choices. Our influence on the game is a double flight of lead in the wing and crashed with losses and crash at our feet, the word "illusion" branded around on his little bloody body. Maybe the next episode they will lick his wounds, and she can fly again before our very eyes, but until that day, we are allowed to remain skeptical.


RISE OF ELECTRONIC BOOK

The game itself strives to shoot bullets in the foot throughout the tiny hour and a half's journey lasts. Clearly inclined to think the user on the nature of the game, the developers have been dragged countless clues questioning its mechanisms and reality. Associated with deliberately undefined characters, difficult to doubt their willingness to expose, at least partially, the deus ex machina and thoroughly demolish the fourth wall. Unfortunately, some of these indices are double interpretation and come second reading help reconstruct the history, probably dramatic, Kentucky Route Zero, and all that hunt might have been interesting if we do not constantly strove to the mask by an artificial freedom and bawling us constantly that "This is not a pipe." Especially since this semblance of power given to the player quickly debunked and embellished looks suspiciously like a click of PowerPoint slide to the next release.

Because outside the dialogue choices clearly devoid of consequences, players do not have much to do to take care of. No enigma will hinder their way and progressing in the tables is limited to initiate conversations or comments by clicking on phylacteries. Revoilà comics elsewhere. However, these are two good ideas and come to offer some variety. When Conway takes the wheel, a map of the state appears, the roads are drawn in white on a black background, and the player is free to choose his destination and the route to take. But the most interesting passages are those in which you can play with light. Lit, the decor is classic in its representation, not offering to do than see the main characters. But in the dark, sparks and other brief flashes give rise to silhouettes were also things to tell. In these passages, annoyance gave way to curiosity, and the story managed to get in his nets a spectator left out the rest of the time. Maybe would it take to dig deeper on this side to truly deserve the Seumas McNally Grand Prize.